noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Epinephrine, the hormone and neurotransmitter. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   a catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress (trade name Adrenalin); stimulates autonomic nerve action wordnet
3. 3
   Excitement; thrills. uncountable, usually

   "Some people bungee jump to feel alive through the surge of adrenaline."

Synonyms

All synonyms

epinephrineadrenalinepinephrinepinephrine

Example

More examples

"When he gets overtaken by another car, he gets a shot of adrenaline."

Etymology

From adrenal + -ine, coined by Japanese chemist Takamine Jōkichi in 1901.

Related phrases

adrenaline junkieadrenaline rushadrenaline sport

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.